THE son of a prominent amateur golfer is set to play in an emotional county championship on the Isle of Wight.
Nat Riddett, deputy head greenkeeper at Shanklin and Sandown Golf Club, will compete in the Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Channel Islands Amateur Championship.
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The event returns to the Island club for the first time since 2012, starting with a 36-hole qualifier today (Friday).
Nat’s father, Terry, was a chief referee for Hampshire Golf and a significant figure in amateur golf on the Island.
Islander Jordan Sundborg, the last winner of the Sloane-Stanley Challenge Cup, in 2017, at the Royal Jersey Golf Club. (Image: Andew Griffin) He died suddenly in March 2022 while walking his dog at Blackgang.
Nat said: “It’s obviously a very emotional time for me, playing in any Hampshire event, like I did at Blackmoor a year ago.
“I have been so used to seeing dad around the course with his refereeing.
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“He was an ever-present at all my previous County Championships.
“It hit me hard last year, after qualifying for the first time since his passing.”
Nat narrowly missed out on the top 16 places in the matchplay 13 years ago, but is now looking forward to competing in the Mid-Am Golf (over 35s) this year.
His father, a bricklayer by trade, was a significant presence in the Isle of Wight’s golfing community, organising the team for the Island Games and serving as Freshwater Bay’s captain in 1992, before becoming the club secretary in 2000.
The championship will also serve as a test for the Isle of Wight’s Island Games team, which includes Nat, Chris Hayward, Connor Knight and George Foreman.
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Spectators are welcome on all three days at Shanklin and Sandown, which is hosting the event for the 12th time since 1908.
Entry is free, with play set to start between 8am and 9am each day.
Tomorrow (Saturday), a big field will contest the Hampshire Bowl, a Stableford competition higher handicappers can also enter, as well as the 56 players who will compete in today’s qualifier.
Other Isle of Wight entrants (handicap in brackets): Peter Hill (8.2), Thomas Clemens (6.6), Shaun Williams (5.3), Campbell Laird (5.5), Steve Collins (3.8), Mitch Young (4.8), Lawrence Tolfrey (4.7), James Cheek (3.2), Sam Callaghan (4.8), Ben Guy (3.1), Max Hill (3), Ben Nicholls (2.1), James London (2.8), Ian Miller (1.4), Nick Clemens (+1.0); Dan Mew (+0.9) — all Shanklin; Chris Hayward (+1.3) Osborne; Elliot Baxman (1.5); Matt Leek (6.5) — both Cowes; Dan Holmes (+1.1) Freshwater Bay.
